Best Vernon Kay Podcasts (2025)

1
A walk in the park…? 13:46

5h ago13:46

13:46

Well, we can only hope. Let’s see how it goes for Sue in Dorset and Rikki in Gloucester.By BBC Radio 2

1
Thomas Christian Bächle and Jascha Bareis eds., "The Realities of Autonomous Weapons (Bristol UP, 2025) 1:00:17

26m ago1:00:17

1:00:17

Autonomous weapons exist in a strange territory between Pentagon procurement contracts and Hollywood blockbusters, between actual military systems and speculative futures. For this week's Liminal Library, I spoke with Jascha Bareis, co-editor of The Realities of Autonomous Weapons (Bristol UP, 2025), about how these dual existences shape internatio…

1
Barry Strauss, "Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire" (Simon & Schuster, 2025) 44:57

26m ago44:57

44:57

Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire (Simon & Schuster, 2025) by Barry Strauss recounts the history and events of three major uprisings: the Great Revolt of 66–70 CE, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, culminating in the Siege of Masada, where defenders chose mass suicide over surrend…

1
Paul Thomas Chamberlin, "Scorched Earth: A Global History of World War II" (Basic Books, 2025) 1:04:46

26m ago1:04:46

1:04:46

In popular memory, the Second World War was an unalloyed victory for freedom over totalitarianism, marking the demise of the age of empires and the triumph of an American-led democratic order. In Scorched Earth: A Global History of World War II (Basic Books, 2025), historian Paul Thomas Chamberlin opens a longer and wider aperture on World War II a…

1
21 - Breaking barriers in women’s health: Hormones, education and HRT with Dr Fionnuala Vernon 30:09

12h ago30:09

30:09

“The fire in the belly is coming from people’s want and need to help patients and to make a change” This week, Dr Fionnuala Vernon, Medical Director of Blackwater Private Clinics and GP trainer in Ireland, joins Dr Louise Newson for a compelling conversation about breaking down barriers in healthcare and addressing the ways in which the system ofte…

1
Don't count your chickens... 14:20

1d ago14:20

14:20

Alison in Bradford & Scott in Sheffield give it a go, could this be an ‘alarming’ round?By BBC Radio 2

1
Reid B. C. Pauly, "The Art of Coercion: Credible Threats and the Assurance Dilemma" (Cornell UP, 2025) 59:34

1d ago59:34

59:34

Strong states are surprisingly bad at coercion. History shows they prevail only a third of the time. Dr. Pauly argues that coercion often fails because targets fear punishment even if they comply. In this "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario, targets have little reason to obey. The Art of Coercion: Credible Threats and the Assurance Dil…

1
Ep. 1352: Laura Ries with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio 50:18

1d ago50:18

50:18

My guest today is Laura Ries. Laura is the chairwoman of Ries Positioning Pioneer, and a world-famous positioning consultant. For three decades, she has helped clients to position their brands in the mind of consumers for business growth. The topic is her book The Strategic Enemy: How to Build and Position a Brand Worth Fighting For. In this episod…

1
Mark Braude, "The Invisible Emperor: Napoleon on Elba from Empire to Exile" (Penguin Press, 2018) 1:02:08

2d ago1:02:08

1:02:08

I must’ve been a kid when I first heard the palindrome “Able I was ere I saw Elba”. Napoleon didn’t mean a lot to me at the time. “Elba” meant even less. Decades later, I had learned a little more about Napoleon and his time there, but not that all that much it turns out. And then came Mark Braude’s The Invisible Emperor: Napoleon on Elba from Empi…

1
Rollercoaster rider! 14:11

4d ago14:11

14:11

Amanda in Birmingham and Louise in Northampton go head-to-head in the mighty quiz!By BBC Radio 2

1
The key to success..? 15:10

5d ago15:10

15:10

Ben in Bradford might have the answer but could Christine in Shoreham-by-Sea muscle in?By BBC Radio 2

1
W. Henry Sledge, "The Old Breed... The Complete Story Revealed" (Knox Press, 2025) 1:02:20

5d ago1:02:20

1:02:20

Because events like D-Day and the Battle of Okinawa took place an entire lifetime ago, it is rare to find any new accounts and memories from veterans. Thankfully, forty years after the publication of Eugene Sledge’s famous memoir With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa comes The Old Breed… The Complete Story Revealed (Knox Press, 2025) by Eugene’…

1
More quiz fun with Gary Davies 14:16

6d ago14:16

14:16

Roger in Chillington and Phil in Chesterfield test their knowledge.By BBC Radio 2

1
Blackface Labubu (w/ Milly & Alise!) 1:26:17

6d ago1:26:17

1:26:17

Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠No guest! Just gals! Topics: Cardi B vs. a Plus-Sized Influencer, Dominican Eric Adams, Doja Cat and the musty shirt guy (Software Update), The Woman who made. Blackface Labubu (The Discourse), "I Fell in Love with My Therapist" (Grasshole of the Week) Subscribe and Rate Go Touch Grass on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ and le…

1
Garrett M. Graff, "When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day" (Simon and Schuster, 2025) 54:18

6d ago54:18

54:18

June 6, 1944—known to us all as D-Day—is one of history’s greatest and most unbelievable military triumphs. The surprise sunrise landing of more than 150,000 Allied troops on the beaches of occupied northern France is one of the most consequential days of the 20th century. Now, Pulitzer Prize finalist Garrett M. Graff, historian and author of The O…

1
Michael Jabara Carley, "Stalin's Great Game: War and Neutrality, 1939-1941" (U Toronto Press, 2025) 1:29:19

6d ago1:29:19

1:29:19

The period from September 1939 to early 1942 was crucial for Soviet foreign policy and coincided with the early stages of the Second World War, including the Great Patriotic War. In Stalin's Great Game, Michael Jabara Carley unpacks the complexities of Soviet diplomacy during this time, addressing key issues such as the Soviet-Finnish Winter War, S…

1
Michael Geheran, "Comrades Betrayed: Jewish World War I Veterans under Hitler" (Cornell UP, 2020) 1:13:02

6d ago1:13:02

1:13:02

What claims could Jewish veterans make on the Nazi state by virtue of their having fought for Germany? How often did Germans treat Jewish veterans differently from Jewish men without military experience during the Weimar and Nazi periods? How did perceptions of masculinity and of Germanness intersect to shape attitudes and behaviors of Jewish veter…

1
It’s like climbing a greasy pole! 13:49

7d ago13:49

13:49

It’s the turn of Sam in Leicester & Paul in Norfolk but who’ll be champ on today’s quiz?By BBC Radio 2

1
Yorai Linenberg, "Jewish Soldiers in Nazi Captivity: American and British Prisoners of War During the Second World War" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:27:54

7d ago1:27:54

1:27:54

This book explores the extraordinary story of Jewish POWs in German captivity during the Second World War - extraordinary because of the contrast between Germany's genocidal policy towards Jews on one hand, and its relatively non-discriminatory treatment of Jewish POWs from western countries on the other. The radicalisation of Germany's anti-Semiti…

1
20 - Hormones and metabolism: Unlocking the science with Professor Franck Mauvais-Jarvis 30:41

7d ago30:41

30:41

“I don’t understand why we’re not shouting this from the rooftops, a simple medicine, a natural hormone, that can reduce the risk of both diabetes and breast cancer. That’s incredibly important, isn’t it?” This week, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Franck Mauvais-Jarvis, Professor of Medicine at Tulane University and an endocrinologist specialising i…

1
A summer holiday special... 14:03

8d ago14:03

14:03

It’s Math vs English when teachers Alex in Rutland goes up against Sam in Wiltshire.By BBC Radio 2

1
Bryon L. Garner, "Black Veteranality: Military Service and the Illusion of Inclusive Patriotism" (Routledge, 2025) 56:32

8d ago56:32

56:32

Military service in the United States has long been associated with patriotism. But for Black veterans, this association with patriotism, love for country, is complicated by their experiences with racism and discrimination in the US and both civilians and as members of the military. In Black Veteranality: Military Service and the Illusion of Inclus…

1
Ep. 1351: Henrietta Moore and Arthur Kay with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio 54:26

9d ago54:26

54:26

My guests today are Henrietta Moore and Arthur Kay. Henrietta Moore is the Founder and Director of the Institute for Global Prosperity and the Chair in Culture Philosophy and Design at University College London. Her work is focused on new economic models, Universal Basic Services, artificial intelligence, environmental degradation, decarbonization,…

1
Alexander Mikaberidze, "Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace" (Oxford UP, 2022) 1:11:47

9d ago1:11:47

1:11:47

Every Russian knows him purely by his patronym. He was the general who triumphed over Napoleon's Grande Armée during the Patriotic War of 1812, not merely restoring national pride but securing national identity. Many Russians consider Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Golenischev-Kutuzov the greatest figure of the 19th century, ahead of Pushkin, …

1
Stephanie McCurry, "Women's War: Fighting and Surviving the Civil War" (Harvard UP, 2019) 1:12:50

10d ago1:12:50

1:12:50

In Women's War: Fighting and Surviving the Civil War (Harvard UP, 2019), the award-winning author of Confederate Reckoning challenges the idea that women are outside of war, through a trio of dramatic stories revealing women's transformative role in the American Civil War. We think of war as a man's world, but women have always played active roles …

1
Jonathan Fisher and Nina Wilén, "African Peacekeeping" (Cambridge UP, 2022) 53:56

10d ago53:56

53:56

In African Peacekeeping (Cambridge University Press, 2022), Dr. Jonathan Fisher and Dr. Nina Wilén explore the story of Africa's contemporary history and politics through the lens of peacekeeping. This concise and accessible book, based on over a decade of research across ten countries, focuses not on peacekeeping in Africa but, rather, peacekeepin…

1
Going rogue...? 13:51

11d ago13:51

13:51

Or will quizzes Sarah in Peterborough & Anthony in Brighton be on their best behaviour?By BBC Radio 2

1
Zack Cooper, "Tides of Fortune: The Rise and Decline of Great Militaries" (Yale UP, 2025) 40:18

11d ago40:18

40:18

An ambitious look at how the twentieth century's great powers devised their military strategies and what their implications mean for military competition between the United States and China. How will the United States and China evolve militarily in the years ahead? Many experts believe the answer to this question is largely unknowable. But Zack Coo…

1
Pulling the answer out of your noggin.. 14:13

12d ago14:13

14:13

Sounds easy, but how did Steve in Worcester and Sue in Pembrokeshire get on ?By BBC Radio 2

1
Ben Zweibelson, "Reconceptualizing War" (Helion, 2025) 1:04:18

12d ago1:04:18

1:04:18

War remains the most chaotic and destructive act our species is capable of. In addition to waging war against those we disagree with, we also battle with which beliefs about war are superior to alternatives. We make war with ideas, beliefs, and mindsets along with bullets, bombs, and missiles. The tactics and technologies matter, but only if societ…

1
Sing when you’re winning 14:20

13d ago14:20

14:20

Mary in Norwich takes on the quiz but can James in Kent snatch that speaker?By BBC Radio 2

1
Sydney Sweeney's Spon Life (w/ Charlene Kaye!) 1:16:23

13d ago1:16:23

1:16:23

Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Charlene Kaye Topics: Sydney Sweeney's Good Jeans (The Discourse), Matt Rife + Annabelle (Cursed Content), Joey Swoll (Grasshole of the Week) Subscribe and Rate Go Touch Grass on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ and leave us a review to read on a future episode! Go Touch Grass has a Patreon! Subscribe ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. Go Touch Gra…

1
Marcus Gibson, "The Greatest Force: How RAF Bomber Command Became the No.1 Factor in Britain’s Total, Destructive Defeat of Nazi Germany" (2025) 38:15

13d ago38:15

38:15

In this podcast Richard Lucas interviews Marcus Gibson, author of The Greatest Force: How RAF Bomber Command Became the No.1 Factor in Britain’s Total, Destructive Defeat of Nazi Germany (2025) in which he argues that RAF Bomber Command was the No.1 factor in Germany’s defeat. Far from being ineffective and too costly, the book argues that the dire…

1
Everyone’s a winner on this quiz! 14:43

14d ago14:43

14:43

It’s the turn of Karen in Mawsley and Rosi in Derbyshire to give it a go!By BBC Radio 2

1
Craig W. H. Luther, "Guderian's Panzers: From Triumph to Defeat on the Eastern Front (1941)" (Stackpole Books, 2025) 1:03:14

14d ago1:03:14

1:03:14

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the surprise invasion of the Soviet Union that opened the Eastern Front in World War II. With lightning speed and devastating success, the German army tore through Soviet territory and rolled over the Red Army, scoring some of the most dramatic victories in military history--until the bl…

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Vernon Kay Podcasts

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